About

iA Writer: A focused writing app for Windows

CHF 23,575

pledged of CHF 20,000 goal

823

backers

What is a prototype?

A prototype is a preliminary model of something. Projects that offer physical products need to show backers documentation of a working prototype. This gallery features photos, videos, and other visual documentation that will give backers a sense of what’s been accomplished so far and what’s left to do. Though the development process can vary for each project, these are the stages we typically see:

Proof of Concept

Explorations that test ideas and functionality.

Functional Prototype

Demonstrates the functionality of the final product, but looks different.

Appearance Prototype

Looks like the final product, but is not functional.

Design Prototype

Appearance and function match the final product, but is made with different manufacturing methods.

Production Prototype

Appearance, function, and manufacturing methods match the final product.

Prototype Gallery

These photos and videos provide a detailed look at this project’s development.

For seven years now, iA Writer has been used and loved by professional writers on Mac, iOS, and Android. iA Writer runs on Windows 7, 8 and 10. It comes with a custom installer. Everything is designed to make you focus on the text.

We believe in removing distractions, giving you a calm, focused writing space: We stripped away everything that might stand between you and how you feel so that you can write from the heart. This is how great writing gets started. We created focus mode. An experience where everything fades away. Everything but the sentence you are writing, the thought that you are expressing right now. Focus mode helps you dive into the flow.

Sentence Focus Mode

There's a powerful engine underneath the hood, but it never gets in your way: First, you write from the heart. Then you write with the head. There’s a time to edit, and a time to shape.

Paragraph Focus Mode

iA Writer is a tool for the brave: When we are about to do something that is important, we are most likely to procrastinate. So we don’t need to face others and ultimately ourselves. We procrastinate to protect ourselves. We might get rejected. We might get no response. We might find out that we are not as great as we hope to be. This is why it so hard to start with that novel, publish that blog post, make that call, or write that proposal. The only way to fight that fear is focussing. Focussing no matter what. Focussing against all odds. Focus, get started, get it done. This needs courage. There is no app or tool that will give you courage. But there are environments that encourage distractions out. And there are environments that encourage you to focus. iA Writer is not about features, bells, and whistles, it is all about getting focused and getting started.

Night Mode

Every feature in iA Writer is designed to let you better focus on the text

Folding: Expand and compress the text below a headline so you can quickly switch between a structural and a detailed view

Folding: Click headline to show and hide chapter text

Markdown: Lets you quickly format your writing without having to use your mouse and break your flow.

Focus Mode: Focus Mode dims everything but the current sentence, helping you stay in the flow.

Type Writer Mode: Have your cursor vertically centered on the screen so you always see the sentence you are working on right ahead of you.

Night Mode: iA Writer includes an inverted “light on dark” mode, perfect for writing at night.

Markdown Preview: Use the preview function to see how your text renders in a separate preview

PDF Export: Export your text as a simple PDF

CSS Templates: If you use iA Writer for your business, you can now create custom templates for previewing, printing, and PDF export. The Windows templating logic is compatible with our existing templates.

“iA Writer creates a clean, simple and distraction-free writing environment for when you really need to focus on your words. It’s delightful to use"

"iA Writer is an example of how powerful simplicity and accessibility can be for creating commercially successful interfaces, applications or services. This is true even if you're a newbie up against the software world's leading heavyweights."

“iA Writer is all about textual production – writing this phrase, this sentence, this word at this moment."

“Seriously! Any serious writer/student who finds writer's block a problem! Honestly get this! Get the beta! It’s amazing! I’ve already used it this morning to write a full report for work, format it, make it pretty after getting down the bare bones. And fired it away to my boss. It’s just superb!.” —Luxe Oakey

“Thank you for doing this! As a Mac and iOS user who uses iA Writer on both platforms, I'm so happy that you're making a Windows version. I use my Surface Pro in my workflow and it has been frustrating that the clean, minimalist writing app on Windows is not as polished as iA Writer. I'm so excited!” —Dan Matutina

“iA Writer is the absolute best at what it does. It was the hardest app to give up when I switched to a Windows laptop, and I'm thrilled to have it back. ” —Steve Pantol

“Its simplicity betters my focus. Its beauty keeps my attention. I don’t remember not feeling good about writing in iA Writer. This is like having a room dedicated to deep thinking. Every time I would enter that room my mind would do its best. Maybe that is why this is hard to explain: you have to use it for a while before you experience it fully.” —Mostafa Hajizadeh

The Windows templating logic is compatible with our existing templates.

Risks and challenges

We have successfully launched our app on three platforms already and we now have a fully working Alpha version for Windows.

We'd like to add a couple of touches like a file library and localizations to make it super-awesome. With your support, we can polish the app, make it bullet-proof, and you can get focused on your next writing project.